By Dustin Lindgren
When we look at improving the athleticism of athletes, there are many different components that one can take into consideration. Hand-eye coordination, balance, strength, ect. All these components put together can make a very decent athlete right? Correct but when it comes time to react, an athlete typically has seconds to make that quick movement. This is where power comes into play.
I don’t want to spend much time on the equations you see below. These equations explain more as to how power is created.
Power = Force x velocity
Power = work/time
One can have an unlimited amount of strength, but how can they use it to their advantage? By exerting that strength at a high rate of speed. This is where power comes into play.
Let’s take football as an example. A play in football can last anywhere from 3 to 10 seconds. Not a lot of time to be making decisions. With limited time one can’t afford to be hung up on slow movements. Most football players have some size to their physical build, but they are able to use their strength and speed to create an unbelievable amount of power just by the snap of a finger!
Strength, Speed, and Velocity are all attributes of power. Throughout an Athletes career some of these attributes may need more construction and maintenance than others. Through testing and continuously testing one can find the weak link in the chain of development.
Once the weaknesses have been surfaced we can make a program to adequately develop power through different movements while highlighting explosiveness as well as using strength training.
I believe power is key when it comes to grasping that competitive edge.
